Italian school (XVIII) - Pietà

This oil painting on canvas depicts the Lamentation over the Dead Christ (or Pietà), a traditional iconographic theme of Christian sacred art that shows the body of Jesus laid down from the cross, surrounded by the Virgin Mary and sorrowing figures. The work presents stylistic traits typical of figurative painting from a European school (common in productions between the 17th and 18th centuries), with the presence of the Instruments of the Passion (nails, pincers and the ladder) in the foreground at the foot of the cataletto.
Subject: The lamentation and preparation of Christ’s body for burial with the Virgin Mary, the pious women and Saint John or related figures.
Iconography: The composition highlights the dramatic pathos typical of Baroque or late Baroque painting, emphasized by the dark colors of the landscape and the draped garments of the figures.
Symbolic elements: At the bottom one can notice the crown of thorns, the nails and the pincers resting on the shroud.
Frame and structure: The frame is equipped with a central vertical and horizontal crossbar in a cross shape to ensure stability and prevent felting or sinking of the canvas.
Markings and conservation: On the left upright there are numerical and inventory inscriptions written in uppercase letters, typical of art galleries, auction houses or historic museum storerooms.